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Apple is thought to have sold more than one million of its smartwatches in the first 24 hours it was available for pre-order. 

But UK buyers who are prepared to wait to get their hands on the eagerly anticipated wearable may want to snap up an Apple Watch on holiday, because Britain is the most expensive place in the world to buy one.

The most expensive Edition model costs up to £2,500 more in the UK compared to elsewhere in the world, while at the lower end of the scale British buyers pay up to £63 more for the Sport model.

Britain is the most expensive place in the world in buy the Apple Watch. The three models are pictured above. The Sport, shown left is round £63 more expensive in the UK than the US and there is a difference in price of over £1,230 when it comes to the luxurious Watch Edition (right)

The gadget is available to pre-order in nine countries. 

The cheapest model is the 38mm Sport version and costs £299 in the UK. In the US, the same model costs $349, but this doesn't include sales tax. 

Sales tax in the US depends on the region where the product is sold, but as an example California has one of the highest rates - at 9% - while Montana has zero. 

With both of these sales taxes added to the price of the Sports model in the US, the total cost works out at $380.41 (£257) and $349 (£236) in the respective states.

This is a difference of £42 when bought in California, compared to the UK, and £63 when compared to Montana. 

The effect is magnified for the top-of-the-range Edition version, which costs from £8,000 for the 38mm model in Britain, compared to a starting price of $10,000 in the US.

At the time of writing, $10,000 converts to £6,769 - which equates to a difference of £1,231 before charges are taken into account.

The most expensive version of the 38mm edition in the UK is £13,500 in the UK, and $17,000 in the US. 

When sales taxes are added to the US model, the price rises to $18,530 in California, which converts to £12,543 - a difference of £957.  

But the difference isn't just visible between the UK and US. 

In Australia, for example, the most expensive 38mm Edition costs $21,000 AUD, which converts to £10,832 - a difference of around £2,665 compared to the UK.

In fact, during MailOnline investigations the UK price for all three models of the watch, in both sizes with all sales taxes included, still works out more expensive than in other regions where the watch is currently available for pre-order. 

Explaining the price differences, Apple told MailOnline: 'UK prices include VAT. US prices don't include sales tax.'

Sales tax is calculated by multiplying the purchase price by the tax rate, which varies widely by jurisdiction, and ranges from zero to around 15 per cent in Canada.  

The gadget is now available in nine countries, with the cheapest model – the 38mm Sport version costing £299 in the UK. Here, Apple Watch fans in Beijing looking at the devices behind glass and on a display stand

The Apple Watch will go on sale in Apple shops and selected department stores on April 24.

It will initially be available in Europe, China, Australia, Canada, Japan and America.

It comes in three different versions - Sport, Watch and Edition - with each one made from different materials, such as anodized aluminium, stainless steel and 18 karat yellow or rose gold.

Customers can choose either a 38mm or 42mm face, with an estimated battery of around 18 hours. 

These price discrepancies don't just apply to Apple products, however.

MailOnline recently compared prices for the Sony PlayStation 4, GoPro Hero4 Silver edition action camera, Samsung Galaxy Gear 2 Neo in black and the Apple iPad Air 2.

DailyMail.com's Mark Prigg reviews the brand new Apple Watch

The US is also the cheapest place to buy the 38mm Apple Watch, where it costs $549 (£366) - £110 cheaper than in the UK where it's on sale for £479. The watch has already gone on display in Apple stores across these regions, as well as in Galeries Lafayette in Paris (pictured), Isetan in Tokyo and Selfridges in London

Prices were compared on both the UK and US Amazon sites, plus PC World in the UK and Best Buy in the US – with all taxes and VAT included.

At the time of the research, the PlayStation 4 cost £327 from Amazon UK and £349 from PC World. This was compared to $435 in the US, which converts to £272.

For the GoPro Hero 4 camera, prices were closer between the two countries, but UK customers still paid up to £17 more for the device.

In terms of the Samsung Gear 2 Neo, prices ranged from £135 ($216) on the American Amazon site up to £190 on its UK equivalent.

And Apple's price discrepancy doesn't just apply to its own store. Customers buying the Apple iPad Air 2 from other retailers pay £399 in the UK at PC World, compared to £340 ($544) at Best Buy in the US. 

MailOnline compared prices for the Sony PlayStation 4, GoPro Hero4 Silver, Samsung Galaxy Gear 2 Neo, and Apple iPad Air 2. Prices were compared on UK and US Amazon sites, PC World in the UK and Best Buy in US - with all taxes and VAT included. Prices are shown in pounds and are correct at the time of writing